


The Aphelion Boy

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Banter, Canon Universe, Choran is a good space dad, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Flirting, Fluff, Homesick Lance (Voltron), Homesickness, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Keith & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Keith (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, Keith (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Minor Klance, Mutual Pining, even sad lance is a flirt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 09:09:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20672846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Lance doesn't show up to training or dinner, Keith is determined to find him and figure out exactly what's wrong. After that, what happens in the holodeck stays in the holodeck.





	The Aphelion Boy

The first thing Keith noticed as he sat down at the dining table wasn’t the fact that Hunk had already begun eating or the fact that the space goo seemed, well, more gooey than usual; it was that the seat beside him was empty.

He first noticed Lance was missing when he was at the training deck and alone. Any other time, the younger paladin would fight tooth and nail for a chance to boast his prowess, but, today, Keith spent the hour and a half of free time alone. The silence had been unsettling, the only sounds being his own grunts and the clash of his bayard with the training dummy’s sword.

“Has any seen Lance?” he asked, popping a spoonful of goo into his mouth. No offense to Coran, but he wished that Hunk would cook more often. He was sure there was some sort of proverb that said ‘Man shalt not live on space goo alone’.

“He’s probably slacking off like usual,” Pidge said, feeding a spoonful of goo to Chuchule. “Or another verb that rhymes with slacking.”

“Don’t all verbs rhyme since they end in ‘ing’?” Hunk asked. His mouth moved silently as he tried out each word before shaking his head. “No, no they do not.”

Keith gave a small smile, but he couldn’t help the worry that twisted in his stomach. Ever since Sendak invaded the Castle of Lions and Lance was almost killed, he had felt a certain protectiveness for him. Even Lance insisted on denying that anything had happened between them.

He pushed his plate away, standing up. As five pairs of eyes turned to him, he suddenly felt sheepish. “Dinner was great, Coran, thank you. I’m feeling beat from training, so I’m going to turn in early. Goodnight.”

The Castle of Lions was huge, and, after finding Lance’s room empty, Keith wasn’t sure where to look first. He could mark off the dining room and kitchen, at least, but that still left an entire castle to check.

“Lance?” he called, voice soft as he trailed down the hallways. The only response was his own echo, and he let out a soft sigh. It was going to take him hours.

A small squeak stopped him in his tracks, though, and, as he turned around, he was greeted by Platt and Chulatt trailing after him. Platt waved, squeaking again.

“I’m not Allura,” Keith grunted, squatting down to pat the mice on their heads. “I can’t understand you.”

The larger mouse took a few steps forward before returning and tugging on the cuff of Keith’s pants. Chulatt, who had been hiding, peeked his head out from being Platt, offering a single nod.

“Follow you?” Keith stood up. “Alright, lead the way then.”

The two space mice took off down the hallway, fast enough that he had to sprint after them. After what seemed like forever, they stopped in front of a large door. Platt squeaked and saluted before gathering Chulatt on his back and sauntering away.

Keith’s brows knitted together as he watched them go. “Uh, thanks, I guess?” He turned back and faced the door. It was the holodeck. Assuming that the mice had led him to Lance, he couldn’t understand why, out of all the rooms in the castle, he was in there.

Pushing open the door, though, he was hit with petrichor and the sound of rain, and he understood.

* * *

Lance sat in the middle of the room, legs drawn to his chest as the rain pelted down on him. He had been there for hours, just enjoying the sensation, even if he didn’t feel the cool moisture of the rain touching his skin. He would be forever in debt to Coran for teaching him how to simulate the rain and the beach and every other place on Earth that he missed so much.

When he heard the door creep open, he hurriedly wiped the tears from his eyes, sniffling. Turning around, his eyes met sheepish violet ones.

“Hey, Keith.”

He expected his rival to make fun of him or to laugh about the fact he was sitting in the middle of simulated rain crying, but, instead Keith just plopped down beside him, looking up at the clouds. It didn’t seem like he had any intention of speaking.

And so they sat in silence, just enjoying the rain.

“I know I’m supposed to be brave and everything,” Lance finally said, breaking the silence. “But I really just want to go home. I’m tired of being here.” He spread his arms out before letting them drop with a heavy sigh. Turning to face Keith, he asked, “Do you ever get homesick?”

“No.” Keith’s face pulled into a sad smile. “I lived alone in a shack in the desert. There isn’t much to miss.”

Lance couldn’t imagine the kind of life Keith had lived. While he had been surrounded by his mom and his abuela and all of his sobrinos, who did Keith have? No parents, no family, no friends – he had been completely alone. And, for the first time since they broke Shiro out of quarantine, Lance didn’t want to rub that fact in his face. Just like he was tired of being in space, he was tired of his rivalry with Keith.

“It’s just,” Lance hesitated, gnawing his bottom lip. While he was ready to put the rivalry behind him, was he ready to open up? “I’m in _space_ with _flying robot lions_ fighting this terrifying race of _cat people_.” Despite the situation, he let out a watery laugh at the absurdity of his own statement. “I never got to see my mom one last time. I never got to see the beach again or feel the rain – all these things I took for granted – and, if I die out here…”

He had expected a lot of things from Keith at that moment, but he hadn’t expected him to wrap his arm around his shoulders, pulling Lance into his chest. For a moment, he was quiet, but then Lance heard the steady rumble within his chest as he began to talk. “You’re not going to die out here. I’d do anything to keep you – all of you, that is – safe.”

“I was so excited when you got expelled,” Lance admitted, cheeks flushing at the harsh confession. “It felt like I finally had one up on you. But I don’t think I was made to be out here. I’ve spent my whole life wanting to touch the stars, and, now, I hate them more than anything else. I hate being here.” After remaining composed for so long, he finally broke again, tears slipping down his cheeks.

Keith let out a tiny sigh, resting his chin on Lance’s head. “It’s okay to be homesick, you know. I don’t…I don’t really understand it, but you have so much back on Earth. A family.”

“You really don’t have anything to miss back on home?” Lance cut in, sniffling. He felt Keith shake his head.

“No.” Then, with a timid voice that was uncharacteristic of the red paladin, he added, “Everything I need in life is here, on this ship with you guys.”

“You don’t even miss the rain?”

“Sometimes. But, I never got to enjoy it with someone like I am now.”

Lance moved his head to look up at Keith, only to find the older boy staring forward, the tips of his ears stained red. Even with the homesickness and depression eating away at him, he couldn’t help but find the sight amusing. He was oblivious at times, Pidge had proven that easily enough, but when it came to romance, he was a genius.

Well, other than those times with Allura and Nyma.

“Why did you coming looking for me?”

The question startled Keith, who blinked and finally looked down at Lance’s face. “You didn’t come to practice. I had to make sure you weren’t slacking while we were all working our assess off.”

Lance snorted, shoving Keith. “The only slacker here is you. You couldn’t even fight Sendak.”

“I punched him!”

“And I woke up from a coma to shoot him!”

Keith slumped down, pouting, as Lance chuckled to himself. Surprisingly enough, the darkness in his chest had faded. It wasn’t gone completely, and he still wanted to go home more than anything in the galaxy, but he had family up here too.

He leaned forward, brushing his lips softly against Keith’s cheek, relishing the way his face flushed. “Thanks for cheering me up, Mullet.”


End file.
